Upanda sita karapu pawu netha warak wendoth Kelaniye (the sins of a lifetime disappears if you worship once at the Kelaniya Temple)- this was told to us by our mothers when we were children. In fact, a most important centre of faith for Buddhists is at Kelaniya, just ten kilometres northeast of Colombo and a short detour off the Kandy Road. Indeed, the Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara is said to be one of the three places on the island which the Buddha made a special point of visiting.
January is a very significant month for the Kelaniya temple for two reasons. One is that thousands of Buddhists gather at the sacred compound to get a blessing on the first day of the year -January 1. The second reason is that the January full moon day, Duruthu Poya celebrates the Buddha’s visit to this sacred place.
The annual Duruthu Perahera at Kelaniya, is perhaps second only to the Esala Perahera in Kandy in splendour.
The Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara has played an important role in nurturing and spreading Theravada Buddhism throughout South Asia. It not only provides a fascinating insight into Sinhala culture and history but also features some delightful murals and carvings, including a frieze of dwarves frozen in a range of striking gestures.
It is worth approaching the temple slowly to take in all the details on the way. It sits on a hillock on a plain by the banks of the Kelani Ganga.
At the foot of the flight of steps facing the river are guardstones, each with a bas-relief a Naga king holding a flowerpot and a twisted vine, as can be seen outside most temples. On either side of the king, in the lower corners, are two dwarves, who are spirit attendants, and the gods of wealth. Like elephants, dwarves are believed to have great protective powers, which is why the main temple is ringed with them.
Symbols
At the top of the steps, standing beneath a stately twin archway, the visitor faces the three great symbols of the ‘Triple Gem’. On the right is the dagaba, representing the living presence of the Buddha; in the centre is the main temple building, signifying the community of bhikkhus, or Sangha; and finally on the left is a thriving bo tree, which reminds us of the Buddha’s enlightenment and as such symbolises his teaching.
The dagaba appears enormous as the massive structures at Anuradhapura. The Kelaniya dagaba is said to contain, buried within its depths, a gem-studded throne on which the Buddha sat on his second visit here. It is certainly venerated by the faithful who walk round it piously, heads bowed and floral offerings clasped between palms.
The dagaba or stupa is in the form of a paddy-heap, one of the earliest stupa styles found in Sri Lanka and reaches a height of almost 30 metres.
The delightful friezes and many of the temple’s best murals were added during the last century by artist Solius Mendis, whose work has drawn comparisons with creations from the golden age of Polonnaruwa in the 12th century.
Dwarves
The chubby dwarves endear themselves to the viewer instantly with their modest expressions and unusual postures. All of them play a part in seemingly supporting the temple wall, yet none of them appear to suffer from the effort.
No two are alike; some stand on their hands, and some face inwards, while others blow on flutes or strangely shaped horns. Here and there, plump fingers rest on rounded buttocks or on a pudgy stomach, giving a sense of innocent sensuality.
The dwarves are set between other friezes of geese, representing the distinction between good and evil, and elephants.
The rest of the temple walls are decorated with sculptures of deities, more dwarves and creatures that seem to be combinations of various species. Beside the steps to the main entrance, are the curled trunks of two protective elephants. Rows of comical dwarfs and elephants copied from Polonnaruwa’s Tivanka image house, adorn the outer walls.
On entering the temple, the first sight is of a massive relief carving of the Naga king Maniakkitha. The walls and ceilings of the temple interior are covered with richly coloured and sharply detailed murals done by artist Solius Mendis recounting both the life of the Buddha and episodes in the history of the temple.
Preservation
Helena Wijewardene, mother of D.R. Wijewardene, founder of the Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Limited, (Lake House) and her family did a great service to the Kelaniya Raja Maha Viharaya and to the country.
Helena Wijewardene was a great patron of the arts and she did much to revive the country’s traditional art as well as the culture.
The preservation of the paintings of the Kandyan murals of the Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara is one such example, which has enabled the protection of this unique art for posterity.
Looking at the architectural designs depicted at the Lake House building in Fort, one can see some designs which will make you recall the sculptures at the Kelaniya temple.
The massive columns beside the main entrance, and the floral designs above it, well carved door frames and lotus flower motifs inside the building are greatly influenced by the Buddhist art and culture depicted at the Kelaniya temple.
A visit to the Kelaniya temple can be a spiritual experience. It is also ideal to discover the intricate murals and architecture of Sinhala art.
Great crowds numbering thousands come for the temple’s annual Perahera in January, when people and elephants alike are dressed in their finest for an unforgettable pageant.
